Checking in for a Check-Up

Posted on Tue May 24th, 2022 @ 6:58am by Lieutenant Anna S. Thesia M.D. & Lieutenant JG Avarak

Mission: *CD*
Location: Sick Bay
Timeline: Current

After getting himself, for the most part, caught up with everything that had happened during his secondment to the University of Alpha Centauri, Avarak realized that he was overdue for a check-up with the ship's Chief Medical Officer. He was quite sure that he had yet to meet the doctor before his departure from the Sunfire, so this seemed to be the perfect opportunity for them to meet.

The door to sickbay hissed open and Avarak walked in. "Good day, doctor." Said Avarak, "I am Lieutenant junior grade Avarak, science officer. I believe I am overdue for a medical check-up."

Anna looked him up and down. "What a welcome change, a volunteer." What had happened? Before she had been sent to Cardassia, people due for their physicals had to be chased down. Now this was the second one who had come in unprompted, voluntarily.

Avarak cocked an eyebrow. He was of the understanding that medical check-ups were required on an annual basis, so to hear that it was rare for such a simple thing to be done voluntarily was striking. "Indeed," said the science officer.

"Please, do get on the bed and I'll have a look at you", Anna said. "Anything you need me to be aware of that might not be in your files, Avarak?" In her experience, every patient had details of their medical history that never made it into the files, unless there was one particularly overachieving doctor who sifted through all transporter logs to collect additional data.

Avarak nodded his acknowledgement and sat on the bed as instructed. "To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing in my history that is not present in my medical file, doctor." He said.

"That's what they all say" Anna laughed and started the scanners. "But coming from a Vulcan, I'm inclined to believe it." The scan found nothing out of the ordinary, but Anna proceeded to draw a blood sample just in case. A procedure that had been introduced during the Dominion War, originally to detect changelings. It was still useful, however, for detecting in slow but careful analysis what a cursory scan might not spot right away. "Have you encountered anything unusual before returning aboard?"

"In what way unusual?" Inquired the science officer. There were a number of possible interpretations of unusual, and Avarak wanted to be sure that the doctor's inquiry was limited to the medical world and not something more nefarious.

"Well, you know, anything that might an impact on your well-being", Anna said. "Though I'm never averse to hearing a good story about general shenanigans. Just... no lollygagging."

'Shenanigans? Lollygagging?' Thought Avarak. "I can assure you doctor, Vulcans do not 'lollygag'."

"Pity", Anna said. "I've always wondered why some security officers would keep mentioning it wasn't allowed. Someone might have heard about an incident prompting that prohibition." She winked at him.

Avarak cocked his eyebrow once more. He got the distinct impression that the doctor was referencing something but he hadn't the faintest idea what that could have been. "So, doctor," he said, changing the subject, "am I functioning within normal parameters?"

"I'm a doctor, not an engineer", Anna replied. "But you do appear healthy. Keeping fit is only logical, isn't it?" She smirked. Of course Vulcans suffered from a variety of conditions, but they were the least likely of all the species she had encountered to be experiencing them due to poor life choices.

"It certainly is doctor," he responded. "I began studying Suus Mahna during my time at the Academy but during my time at the Sorak Institute I did not have as much opportunity to practice." Sitting on the biobed had caused his tunic to ride up and he readjusted it. "It does seem strange to me now that I think of it but being on an active duty starship I might end up having more spare time than I did on Alpha Centauri."

"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life", Anna smirked. "I know, a cliché. But there it is. I am sure you will see the logic in achieving a work-life-balance that allows your mind and your body time to recuperate."

"Indeed." Said Avarak, it certainly was something of a cliché but the sentiment was one that Avarak had found out in life was quite true. "So what would you say is the prognosis doctor, are there some changes that I need to make in my daily routine?"

"Of course", Anna said. "You can't expect transitioning to starship life without a change in your routine. You'll have to see what facilities you can and want to use, for example. I'm afraid some of us might even have to resort to sports in order to stay fit. That's something you wouldn't have to do if your job gave you sufficient physical activity, or you had some place to go hiking or some such."

“Indeed,” replied Avarak. “I have witnessed that team sports seem to generate a level of camaraderie conducive to smoother functioning of members working on a team. While of course having the added benefit of maintaining physical fitness. Do you participate in sports, doctor?”

Anna shook her head. "Team sports also encourage a feeling of one group against another, harmful competition rather than mutual cooperation. I'm not a fan." She switched off the scanners as she now had all the data she needed. "I swim, I dance, I play games on the holodeck, but sports? No, I've never been interested in them."

"Understandable," he said. "I could see how that could be an unfortunate potential side effect. Shall we make an appointment for a follow up appointment?"

"For now, just do your thing", Anna said. "If I notice anything strange or otherwise noteworthy in your blood sample, I shall let you know."

Avarak stood up from the biobed. "Very well, doctor. Good day." And with that, Avarak stepped out of sickbay to make his way back to his office, where he anticipated he would remain for many hours to come.